GREENVILLE — The Greenville City Council approved a septage plan that would allow the city to receive and treat septage from haulers.

During Tuesday’s Greenville City Council meeting, the council received a presentation regarding the septage plan, how it would benefit the city and more.

City Manager George Bosanic said haulers take septage to a facility where it can be treated. However, according to state law, haulers are required to dispose of the septage in an approved community that is willing to take it within the area.

“Both the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the city’s environmental legal counsel have reviewed the plan and support it,” Bosanic stated in a narrative to the council.

The city would be able to hold the septage in a primary tank at the Waste Water Treatment Plant. The tank is currently not being used because of influent loss.

Bosanic said the idea is to pump between 4,000 and 6,000 gallons a day to begin with, and then work towards processing once the city can see how the plant performs.

This would be available to haulers within 15 miles of the city. Haulers within 25 miles will be able to call and see if there is room available for the septage.

“There are several reasons why we would like to accept septage and included in these are, it is our job to do what we can to protect the environment and one way is by accepting and treating septage wastes,” states the proposal. “But, probably the largest at this point, is because the plant superintendent (Shawn Wheat) sees it as a means of earning additional revenue to assist in maintaining our plant and personnel numbers, so we can better serve the citizens of Greenville and those whom use the waters of the Flat River for recreation and other uses.”

Bosanic said revenue made from this project would go to help offset the cost of the plant, which, in the end, would help to reduce rate increases.

Councilman Lloyd Scoby asked if haulers had other options, which might prevent them from using Greenville’s facility.

“Yes, but other (options) are more expensive,” Wheat said

Other options include contractors hauling the septage farther away, or disposing it in an approved field, which are timely and costly.

Because the City Council approved the septage plan on Tuesday, the city will be moving by taking steps like prepping the primary tank and securing contracts.

Related Stories

Greenville’s waste water treatment plant will be able to receive and dispense leachate and septage once an expansion project is completed. During Tuesday night’s Greenville City Council meeting, the council allowed City Manager George Bosanic to issue a change order to the expansion project to include the construction of the proposed structure to receive and dispense leachate (liquid that extracts solutes, suspended solids or any other matter through which it passes) and septage (waste disposed through a facility’s plumbing system).

The Greenville Planning Commission amended a master plan before recommending it to the Greenville City Council. The amendment to the master plan was to accommodate the future of Greenville. During Thursday night’s meeting, the commission approved recommending to the city council that certain parcels be considered for office use in the future.

The Greenville City Council approved the proposed budget for 2013-2014 on Tuesday. During the council’s regular meeting, a public hearing was held and the council made the decision to approve the proposed budget.

The community will now have just over 60 days to review the Greenville Master Plan and give their input. During Tuesday night’s joint Greenville City Council and Greenville Planning Commission meeting, the Greenville Master Plan was presented to the City Council. The council accepted the plan at the conclusion of the meeting.